TheWay BibleHome›Bible›Ezekiel›Ezekiel 3›Ezekiel 3:17-21
Ezekiel 3:17-21 KJV
Ezekiel · chapter 3 · verses 17–21
17Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.Ezekiel 3:17-21 · King James Version
What Ezekiel 3:17-21 means
God makes Ezekiel a watchman and attaches a weight to it. If the warning is not given, the watchman answers for it; if it is given and ignored, he does not. The passage is about responsibility for speaking, and it is unusually blunt about the cost of silence.
Study note provided by TheWay Bible App, separate from the KJV text. Read the full chapter in context and compare interpretations. Report a correction.
Ezekiel 3:17-21 in context
15Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
16And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
17Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
23Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
Commentary
Cross references
- Ezekiel 33:6
- James 5:19-20
- Ezekiel 3:20
- Acts 20:26-27
- Ezekiel 33:8-10
- Luke 13:5
- 1 Timothy 4:16
- Acts 2:40
- Ezekiel 18:24
Key words (Strong's)
- stumblingblockmikshôwla stumbling-block, literally or figuratively , scruple)H4383 →
- righteousnesstsedeqthe rightH6664 →
- wickednessreshaʻa wrongH7562 →
- deliverednâtsalto snatch away, whether in a good or a bad senseH5337 →
- righteoustsaddîyqjustH6662 →
- watchmantsâphâhproperly, to lean forwardH6822 →
- speakestdâbarperhaps properly, to arrangeH1696 →
- iniquityʻâvônperversityH5771 →
Topics
Keep reading in TheWay Bible App
Read, study, memorize, journal, and pray — tap any word for its Greek or Hebrew definition, save verses to memorize, and keep a journal. Free on the web and iOS.
These further instructions God gave to the prophet at the end of seven days, that is, on the seventh day after the vision he had; and it is very probably that both that and this were on the sabbath day, which the house of Israel, even in their captivity, observed as well as they could in those circumstances.
— Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on verses 16-21